I think Hef knew his time was short. He wanted the mansion sold, his public appearances dwindled down, etc. He'll likely be remembered most for the pictorials in the magazine - but he did so much more. The number of writers who wrote short stories, or provided book excerpts. The candid interviews, where no subject was *****. The advice columnists. And the PUBLIC discussion of sex, pleasure, LGBT, etc. *HE* was the man who brought sex out in the open / beyond the bedroom. Rest in peace, Hef.
P.S. Thanks for publishing your magazine. I remember finding my uncle's stash of them, while visiting in my mid teens. I think it was Diane Parkinson, of the Price is Right, did a pictorial. Such huge nipples! I remember looking at the pictures, and my penis feeling like it was rocket ship. You could take my heartbeat from it!